US Taxpayers Finance Taliban

Here’s an idea for the budget crisis — rather than crush what feeble life remains in the economy by raising taxes or make total collapse inevitable by raising the debt ceiling still further, why don’t we stop shoveling money in a mad fury down rat holes like Afghanistan, where American taxpayers have been financing the Taliban?

A year-long military-led investigation has concluded that U.S. taxpayer money has been indirectly funneled to the Taliban under a $2.16 billion transportation contract that the United States has funded in part to promote Afghan businesses.

The unreleased investigation provides seemingly definitive evidence that corruption puts U.S. transportation money into enemy hands, a finding consistent with previous inquiries carried out by Congress, other federal agencies and the military. Yet U.S. and Afghan efforts to address the problem have been slow and ineffective, and all eight of the trucking firms involved in the work remain on U.S. payroll. In March, the Pentagon extended the contract for six months.

According to a summary of the investigation results, compiled in May and reviewed by The Washington Post, the military found “documented, credible evidence … of involvement in a criminal enterprise or support for the enemy” by four of the eight prime contractors. Investigators also cited cases of profiteering, money laundering and kickbacks to Afghan power brokers, government officials and police officers. Six of the companies were found to have been associated with “fraudulent paperwork and behavior.”

Government spending is invariably wasteful and corrupt in the USA. Imagine what it’s like in Afghanistan.

Contractors floating in taxpayer money have been paying the Taliban
$1,500 to $2,500 per truck for guaranteed safe passage across the barbaric Afghan wasteland.

At least we can learn from our extravagantly expensive mistakes. Instead of trying to civilize savages, we should have used tactical nukes on Tora Bora and never set foot in that godforsaken hellhole. For now, since the insane rules of engagement and Obama’s feckless “leadership” put any sort of victory out of the question, we should get out of there immediately.